Colombias former army chief knew of mass killings of civilians: Human Rights Watch
Source: Colombia Reports
written by David Maas December 21, 2016
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday that, based on the testimonies of six generals, Colombia’s former army commander knew about the mass killing of civilians who ended up registered as combat kills.
HRW released a report on Tuesday of “previously unpublished evidence” further tying former army chief General Mario Montoya to Colombia’s ‘false positives‘ scandal in which thousands of innocent civilians were executed, and urging the Prosecutor General’s Office to resume prosecution against him.
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The scandal was carried out primarily during Alvaro Uribe‘s presidency, under whose watch from 2002 until 2008 extrajudicial killings skyrocketed.
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“Montoya led the Colombian army while it engaged in one of worst episodes of mass atrocity in the Western Hemisphere in recent years,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas director at HRW.
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General Mario Montoya (standing) visiting the U.S. Army South headquarters in San Antonio.
Mario Montoya with US Ambassador to Colombia, Anne Patterson.